AN Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a structured, personalised roadmap that helps employees set short- and long-term career goals and identify the skills, knowledge and support needed to achieve them.
It is a very powerful tool for aligning personal growth with organisational goals, hence it is typically created collaboratively between an employee and their manager or the supervisor.
IDP is important for the following reasons:
Talent retention and motivation
Employees are more likely to stay with a company that invests in their professional and personal growth.
When employees are engaged and can visualise the path for their development, they tend to contribute more positively to the success of the company.
This will foster operational stability, high institutional knowledge and consistent service delivery.
Bridging skills gaps
- Having an Individual Development Plan for success
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This is a process done with the help of the human resources expert or manager working hand-in-hand with other relevant managers to upskill and reskill the employees.
It is done by addressing the difference between the soft skills such as building teamwork and problem-solving techniques that employers need and the skills that employees actually possess.
Usually bridging the skills gap is carried after job evaluations and involves identifying, analysing and addressing the reasons why the individual employee is lacking the skills needed for a specific desired competence.
As a manager it is of importance to encourage your employees to attend workshops/seminars and mentorship programmes for information exchange and learning new skills of doing work.
Again, there should be policies that encourage the workforce to engage in continuous learning to attain new skills and personal
growth.
Career growth opportunities should be made known to the employees so as to encourage them to position themselves for upward mobility.
Employee ownership and accountability
Employees control their development.
Without the participation and the responsibility from the employees themselves, the IDP programme risks becoming a checkbox endeavour, rather than a meaningful tool for growth.
Employees who take charge of their IDP tend to invest time and resources in developing the skills that are pertinent to their career and personal growth.
Succession planning is the engine that helps identify and prepare high potential employees to step into future leadership roles.
This is done by identifying a talent gap early enough to prepare potential successors before the transition becomes dire.
Some of the organisations have clear-cut succession plans.
They have a laid down career path that one has to embark on to become a top manager.
At times, a senior employee is assigned to guide, impart skills and knowledge to the understudy.
Succession plans help in fostering skills continuity and internal mobility.
Core components of an IDP
Career aspirations: Where do you see yourself in five years?
The set goals should align with individual strengths, skills and values and also align with the organisational mission and vision.
Current skills and experience
This is when the organisation looks at ways on how to improve the skills of the individual workers and how said skills could aid in the success of the organisation.
After that the organisation will have to come up with strategies on how to retain the developed workforce; that way they do not become a training ground for other companies.
Action plan
There are several steps that an organisation should take to up skill and reskills their workforce.
Employees can be given gig assignments that will help stretch their knowledge and skills horizons.
Timeline and review
Clear deadlines and periodic check-ins are needed to solidify the success of an
IDP.
This helps prioritise development journey amid day to day responsibilities.
Clear deadlines will help with programme scope-creep from becoming a “someday” task.
